Outcast/Chapter 5
Chapter description :Jaypaw and Leafpool pad beside each other as they follow the stream that divides WindClan and ThunderClan territory. Jaypaw is excited that he might see Rock, but frustrated that he might end up only speaking with StarClan. He thinks that StarClan are only dead Clan cats, and according that the prophecy, he would have the power of stars in his paws, and thus be more powerful than StarClan. Jaypaw thinks that he must find the ancient cats who had once gathered by the Moonpool, as they would be the ones who help him, find his, Lionpaw's, and Hollypaw's destiny. A voice at the back of his mind whispers that his littermates will have to find their own source of power, as Jaypaw is a medicine cat and must walk his path alone. :A voice from WindClan territory calls to Leafpool to wait, and the ThunderClan cats halt. Jaypaw smells Barkface, Kestrelpaw, and Willowpaw, who he figures met up with the WindClan cats on her way from RiverClan. Leafpool anxiously asks where Mothwing is, and frets that she is ill, but Willowpaw replies that she is fine, but wanted so stay in camp to look after Beechfur's infected beesting. Jaypaw knows that this is only an excuse, as Mothwing has no bonds with StarClan, and must have wanted to sleep in her own den instead of come to the Moonpool. Willowpaw calmly greets Jaypaw, and he salutes her back, although he knows that she doesn't like him. Kestrelpaw greets Jaypaw in a more friendly way, and asks how ThunderClan is, to which Jaypaw replies that it is fine. :Jaypaw smells ShadowClan scent as a cat bounds up behind them, and Littlecloud pants hat he thought he had missed them, although Leafpool mews that they would have waited for him. The medicine cats head up for the Moonpool and Kestrelpaw walks beside Jaypaw, asking what being blind is like. Jaypaw thinks that this is a stupid question, but still explains that everything is dark, but he hears and scents his way around. Kestrelpaw sympathizes for him, but Jaypaw is angered by this, and he imagines clawing Kestrelpaw's ear. Jaypaw retorts that he can manage, and he catches up to Littlecloud, wishing that he could run, as he is anxious to reach the Moonpool. :After the medicine cats are at the Moonpool and have fallen asleep, Jaypaw struggles to slumber, and is irritated at himself because of this. For once, the apprentice doesn't want to enter others' dreams, but wishes to wake underneath the hill in the tunnels where he met Rock and Fallen Leaves, and he knows that if he doesn't see them now, he will have to wait until next moon to come to the Moonpool. Jaypaw closes his eyes, wishing to sleep, but he is still aware of the noises around him. The tabby yawns and opens his eyes, but is excited when he realizes that he can see. However, he is instantly frustrated at realizing that he isn't in the underground cave, but still at the Moonpool, where he sees the sleeping bodies of his fellow medicine cats reflected in the water. Jaypaw feels helpless, but a voice behind him quietly asks if he wanted to speak with him. :Jaypaw rapidly spins around to see Rock, and he wonders if the ancient cat sees him or senses his presence. Jaypaw asks Rock why he stopped talking to him despite his many efforts, but Rock flicks his tail and rasps that he is there now, and that Jaypaw can say what he wants. Jaypaw queries if he is part of StarClan, and Rock answers that he shares tongues with those who came before, and Jaypaw guesses that he is referring to the cats who went into the tunnel. However, Rock contradicts that he speaks with cats even more ancient than those, and Jaypaw, exasperated, wonders where they came from. He asks if there is a set of ancestors who all cats- Tribe, Clan, and those of Fallen Leaves- came from. However, Rock simply gazes at Jaypaw, and rumbles that there will always be stories older than any cats remember. Jaypaw is flustered, and demands to know where the ancient cat came from, but Rock is silent, staring across the Moonpool, before finally murmuring that he will find his answers in the mountains, although they may disappoint him. Jaypaw demands to know more, but the old cat begins to fade until Jaypaw sees nothing but the shimmer of starlight on rock and water. He shivers at the sudden wind, and yowls for Rock to come back, but there is no reply, and the starshine fades, replaces by scents of the forest. Jaypaw stands in a wood, moonlight dappling the ground, and the air smells of prey. :Ahead of him, Leafpool follows a narrow path, and she pauses, glancing over her shoulder, and notes that she thought Jaypaw would join her. StarClan cats burst out of bushes ahead, into the open, and prey scurries away from them. A blue she-cat briefly greets Leafpool before bounding on, and a white tom flicks Jaypaw's ear with his tail as he speeds past. Most of the StarClan cats are focused on their prey, delighted at the hunt, and are clearly well-fed. Jaypaw watches as they kill their prey and race away with it, and he wonders if they have a starry fresh-kill pile. Leafpool shows Jaypaw a silver tabby, who leaps on a vole, and she explains that it is Feathertail, Stormfur's sister, who died in the mountains. Jaypaw wonders if the StarClan she-cat knows about the mountain cats' ancestors, and he asks his mentor if they can speak with her. Leafpool thinks that Feathertail might not wait for them, and Feathertail bounds away, in a different direction of the other StarClan cats, toward where the foliage is thicker. Jaypaw asks where she is going, and Leafpool is unsure, calling after the tabby. She chases after Feathertail and Jaypaw follows until they reach a clearing crossed by a stream, with a rocky slope on its other side. :Leafpool calls to Feathertail again, and the tabby stops on the bank of the stream and looks at them. Leafpool catches up to her and asks where she is going, and Feathertail explains that her prey is not for StarClan, as she is still partially responsible for other cats. Jaypaw is confused, but Leafpool guesses that Feathertail is talking about the Tribe of Rushing Water, and asks if she hasn't done enough for them. Feathertail replies that a shared past counts for a lot, and she presses her muzzle against Leafpool's before bounding across the stream and dissappearing through the bushes. :Leafpool faintly sighs and heads back through the forest, and Jaypaw follows, spotting a glimmer in the corner of his eye. He turns and sees Rock, crouched under a bush, staring straight at him, but he gets to his paws and follows Feathertail's path. Jaypaw realizes that StarClan, the ancient cats, and the Tribe all shape the destiny of the Clans, and Jaypaw thinks that if he has the power of the stars in his paws, he will need be more powerful that all of the ancestors. He plunges into the undergrowth and feels rock beneath his paws. As he hears the waterfall, he knows that he is beside the Moonpool again, and he opens his eyes, blind again. :Around him, the other cats wake, saying little, and Leafpool says nothing to Jaypaw as they head back to the lake. Jaypaw feels her anxiety, and when they part with the other cats, he immediately demands if she knows what her dream meant, and if she will share it with Firestar. Leafpool hesitates, then admits that she thinks that Tribe is in trouble, though she is unsure on if she should tell Firestar, as it doesn't seem like ThunderClan will be affected. Jaypaw is frustrated, wondering how he will discover his destiny, and he counters that Stormfur and Brook should be told if there are troubles in the mountains. Leafpool is uncertain, but agrees that she should probably tell Firestar, though he most likely won't do anything. Jaypaw thinks that he is involved, and bares his teeth, realizing that to discover the truth, he must somehow go to the mountains. Characters Major }} Minor *Barkface *Kestrelpaw *Willowpaw *Littlecloud *Rock *Bluestar (Unnamed) *Whitestorm (Unnamed) *Feathertail }} Mentioned *Lionpaw *Mothwing *Beechfur *Fallen Leaves *Sharptooth *Firestar *Stormfur *Brook }} Notes and references nl:Verbannen/Hoofdstuk 5 Category:Outcast Category:Power of Three arc Category:Chapter subpages